Nuts and seeds bring wonderful mouth feel, a chef’s term for good texture, and plenty of protein to vegetarian meals, but they have one drawback: They can also add plenty of fat.
Luckily, using only a small amount gives flavor mileage to most recipes. Even a tablespoon will bring richness to a sauce and add only moderate amounts of fat.
Take the sesame seed, a favorite in Chinese and Middle Eastern cooking. Tiny but potent, the sesame seed is a good source of calcium. An easy way to cook with it is to use tahini, or sesame seed butter. It’s available raw or roasted in many supermarkets and natural-foods stores.
I love to use small amounts of almond or peanut butter in sauces. Intense in flavor, peanut butter is used in Indonesian or Chinese recipes. Add a spoonful to a stir-fry sauce, and the flavor gets a boost at the cost of only a few grams of fat. And peanut butter is especially delicious when paired with hot chilies: Its oil moderates the fiery taste.
Almond butter and almond milk, which is made by grinding almonds with water and then straining it, both can add a silky texture to sauces without the intense peanut flavor. So it’s a perfect way to make dairy-free sauces creamy.
Peanut sauce with a kick
My favorite Indonesian peanut sauce can be drizzled over steamed or stir-fried winter vegetables or tossed with pasta.
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce (canned smoked jalapenos)
2 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
Low-sodium soy sauce
In blender, combine peanut butter, oil, sugar, vinegar and chipotle, and process until smooth. Stir in scallions and cilantro. Add soy sauce to taste. Makes about cup.
Tahini-orange sauce over asparagus
Combining roasted tahini (sesame seed butter) with orange juice creates a delicious creamy sauce for spooning over grains or tossing with greens. Here, it’s served over steamed asparagus.
3/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons roasted tahini
2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic
Salt or low-sodium soy sauce
1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
In blender or food processor, combine orange juice, lemon juice, tahini, yogurt and garlic. Process until very smooth. Add salt or soy sauce to taste.
Steam asparagus until bright green and just tender. Arrange on serving platter and drizzle with sauce. Serve extra sauce on side. Makes 4 servings.
Red cabbage and radish slaw with sesame dressing
Use this dressing in small amounts because it’s very rich. I love it over chopped red cabbage and radishes for a crunchy winter slaw.
2 tablespoons raw or roasted tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, or to taste
2 scallions, chopped
3 cups chopped red cabbage
1 cup chopped red radishes
2 tablespoons minced parsley
In salad bowl, combine tahini, oil, soy sauce and scallions. Stir until tahini is incorporated. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add 1 teaspoon water if desired to dilute saltiness. Stir in cabbage, radishes and parsley. Toss well to coat. Makes 4 servings.
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